Houston teen drowns in Village Creek State Park

By Cassie Smith |
March 12, 2014

A Houston teenager died Tuesday night at Village Creek State Park after drowning while on a trip with his school. Photo by Cassie Smith/@smithcassie. March 11, 2014.

A Houston teenager died Tuesday night at Village Creek State Park after drowning while on a trip with his school. Photo by Cassie Smith/@smithcassie. March 11, 2014.

A Houston teenager died Tuesday night at Village Creek State Park after drowning while on a trip with his school. Photo by Cassie Smith/@smithcassie. March 11, 2014.

A Houston teenager died Tuesday night at Village Creek State Park after drowning while on a trip with his school. Photo by Cassie Smith/@smithcassie. March 11, 2014.

A Houston teenager died Tuesday night at Village Creek State Park after drowning while on a trip with his school. Photo by Cassie Smith/@smithcassie. March 11, 2014.

A Houston teenager died Tuesday night at Village Creek State Park after drowning while on a trip with his school. Photo by Cassie Smith/@smithcassie. March 11, 2014.

A Houston teenager died Tuesday night at Village Creek State Park after drowning while on a trip with his school. Photo by Cassie Smith/@smithcassie. March 11, 2014.

A Houston teenager died Tuesday night at Village Creek State Park after drowning while on a trip with his school. Photo by Cassie Smith/@smithcassie. March 11, 2014.

A spring break trip turned fatal Tuesday when a 17-year-old Houston teen drowned at Village Creek State Park.

Initial confusion by callers unaware about the location of the drowning and a second missing individual delayed emergency response as responders arrived at different locations and handle unrelated cases due to the callers not being fully aware of where they were located, said Lumberton Fire Chief Robert Simonson.

It took the six different agencies responding to the call less than 20 minutes to locate the body of the 17-year-old young man after Village Creek State Park in Lumberton was identified as the correct location, Simonson said.

Police had not released the name of the teen late Tuesday, pending notification of the family.

It's the first drowning in more than two years in Lumberton.

The teen was spending part of his break camping at Village Creek State Park on a field trip with a Houston prep school, he said.

There was one reported adult supervising the school group, Simonson said.